“Kanlungan” composer Rom Dongeto shaped protest music
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Rom Dongeto, a Filipino composer from Tondo, Manila, began his activism in the 1980s and wrote the enduring song “Kanlungan,” though Noel Cabangon later became widely known as its performer.
Dongeto joined student organizing efforts and later founded the cultural group Sinaglahi, performing songs that supported the movement against the dictatorship in the Philippines.
He co-founded Bukluran ng Musikero para sa Bayan, a network of progressive bands, and later continued making music with Cabangon and Rene Boncocan as the group Buklod. Following the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986, Dongeto and Lean Alejandro, a student leader, witnessed a period of political uncertainty. Dongeto channeled these feelings into the lyrics of “Ang Ating Awit.” After the Mendiola Massacre in 1987, when state troops fired on protesting farmers, Buklod released their debut album, Bukid at Buhay.
Dongeto composed “Kanlungan” in just two days, drawing on his imagination despite growing up in an urban environment. He intended the song to convey both romantic longing and an ecological message about protecting the environment, emphasizing the connection between human well-being and the health of nature. In 2003, Cabangon licensed “Kanlungan” for a McDonald’s commercial, a decision that sparked controversy among activists who viewed it as a compromise, but Dongeto and Cabangon believed it would broaden the song's reach.
Despite the debate, “Kanlungan” remains a beloved song in the Philippines, with Noel Cabangon becoming its most recognized interpreter.
